Kirby Campbell knows an opportunity when he sees it.

That’s why when the property where the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake had been located became available, he jumped at the chance to buy it.

Campbell is putting a new hotel, the Western Trailside Hotel, on the Upper Nicolsville Road property. The Driftwood, which had been located there since the 1950s, was destroyed by fire in October 2024.

Susan and Kirby Campbell and their daughter, Kailey. The Campbells are the owners a new hotel being built in Deer Lake. CONTRIBUTED

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Kirby is originally from Cook’s Harbour and his wife, Susan Campbell, is originally from Wabush.

The couple is involved in commercial real estate. He also owns a construction company, Campbell’s Construction, and she has a background in bookkeeping.

They moved to Deer Lake from Labrador City five years ago.

“I love commercial real estate,” Kirby told The Telegram recently. “To me, the backbone of commercial real estate is how many ‘doors’ you can accumulate.”

They have two big buildings in Labrador City and another two big buildings in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Between the two, there are more than 40 plus of what he calls doors, occupied by different businesses in the buildings.

They have 11 more doors in their tourism venture at Middle Brook Cottages in Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook.

The new hotel will include 45 more doors.

The Western Trailside Hotel in Deer Lake is located on the site of the former Driftwood Inn. CONTRIBUTED

PRIME PROPERTY

“We didn’t know what we were going to get into here and then when I saw how tourism was moving here and Deer Lake was the hub, well then we just sat back and said now what are we going to do here.

“And then that piece of land became available, and I grabbed that and went on from there.”

He said it’s a “prime property.”

It’s located right on a trail network that is used by ATVs and snowmobiles, is in the heart of the town, close to the Hodder Memorial Centre and the airport is minutes away.

“Tourism here is huge,” said Susan.

Kirby agrees and adds, “tourism is the way to go. I think that all seasons are covered in that location that’s why I grabbed it.”

The Western Trailside Hotel on Upper Nicholsville Road in Deer Lake will have 45 rooms. CONTRIBUTED

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Construction of the Western Trailside Hotel started in July and is expected to be completed next July or August.

“It’s a big project,” Kirby said of the 27,000 square-foot building.

The hotel will have 45 rooms, a restaurant and a conference room.

Kirby said he took up as much space as he could for the rooms.

The hotel is being built by his company and Kirby said he’s sub-contracting some of the work out.

Cory Randell of Cory Randell’s Construction and Dwayne Perry of William Perry Trucking are two contractors he said have been phenomenal in helping with the project.

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This is the vision Kirby Campbell and his wife, Susan Campbell, have for their new hotel in Deer Lake. CONTRIBUTED

ON THE INSIDE

Kirby said he didn’t call the hotel The Driftwood because he wants to bring something new there.

“To refresh the whole site,” he said.

But Susan said they will pay tribute to Deer Lake inside the hotel.

“With older pictures of Deer Lake just to bring some history into the hotel,” she said.

“We’d just love to have that theme of Deer Lake and the older Deer Lake being there,” added Kirby.

Susan also sees them adding some other amenities.

“We talked about maybe even putting a little shop in there and having some local crafts, as well. Just little things to bring people around,” she said.

The Driftwood had a Jungle Jim’s restaurant, but Kirby said even though he and Susan owned a Jungle Jim’s in Labrador City for six years, they decided to go a little different route for the new hotel.

It will be the site of a Shamrock City restaurant, which is affiliated with Jungle Jim’s and owned by Barry Walsh.

He said Shamrock City has the same kind of food but also features entertainment.

EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE

Deer Lake is a growing community, and there is a lot of construction taking place there, including another hotel out on the highway.

Kirby said he had a feasibility study done before he started his hotel, and there is plenty of business for everyone.

“We’re way down on rooms, he said and added “you can’t get a room here in the summer.”

It’s something they also see with their cottages during the prime tourism season.

“Four months and it’s over 90 per cent,” Susan said of the occupancy rate for the cottages.

With the opening of a new health centre and other businesses planning to come to town, Kirby said the Deer Lake “is going to grow like crazy in the next five years.”

And he intends to be part of that growth as he looks for more opportunities.

“We’re not stopping. Susan probably might want to stop but I’m not stopping,” he said with a laugh.

“More doors, that’s what I calls it. A few more doors in the making for sure.”